


Natasha's Gift

by immortalje



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:40:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27880154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/immortalje/pseuds/immortalje
Summary: After everything is done and the universe restored to the way it was before, Clint returns home to his family and has to explain to them that Natasha won't come back.The Major Character Death is for the canonical character death.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Laura Barton
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Natasha's Gift

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this last year some time after watching Endgame. As I had fallen out of the habit of actually posting the stuff I've written some time in the past decade, this one also stayed hidden on my computer. Until now :)
> 
> I struggled with what to name it and I'm not really happy with, but I don't think I would ever find a good title for this.

Of course, his family had questions. He’d changed and the house had signs of not being lived in for multiple years. Naturally, the question would come that asked for Natasha’s fate. He hadn’t been able to answer. It was at that moment that he realized the true gift Natasha had given him – had given his family – it wasn’t just his survival over hers. It was the gift of a father to his children, a husband to his wife. He also knew that none of them cared about what else he might have done besides grieving for them and trying to fix it, trying to get them back.

They also understood his silence for what it meant. Natasha wouldn’t ever come back and that it affected him bad enough not to talk about it. For what could he tell them? That he was willing to die in her stead? That he would have left them behind? Not that he had truly believed they would be back, hadn’t he? He’d still been led by grief. And Natasha had probably known that.

Hours later, with the kids asleep and Laura cleaning the kitchen, he sat on the porch, just staring at the sky. He didn’t even know if Vormir was visible from earth (or well, the sun it surrounded). He was startled by Laura sitting down next to him.

“You know, I never judged you for anything you did and I won’t for anything you might have done handling your grief.”

“I know.”

“And I know that Natasha would rather die than tell me she couldn’t save you.”

Clint’s eyes unbiddenly teared up and Laura hugged him from the side.

“There were those stones we had to gather. Nat and I had the soul stone. To get it you had to sacrifice something you loved. I wanted to die for all I had done, for –“

“Your grief didn’t let you believe we’d be back, but Natasha could see it; she could see the doubt beneath the determination. She’ll be sorely missed, but I’m also glad it was her and not you. How else could I complain about the constant remodeling otherwise?”

Clint laughed. It was teary and just barely there, but he laughed.

“We’ll have a marker for her, so she’s with family. If not in body, then at least in spirit.”

Clint nodded into Laura’s hug.

“We’re here. It might have taken a while, but we’re here again.”

Clint took a shaky breath as his wife reassured him of what he’d told himself the entire evening so far. They had done it. They had gotten everyone back that Thanos had snapped away.

In between staring the stars in comfortable silence, they talked some more about what had happened in the past five years.

~***~

When Clint woke the next morning to birds singing and the sun shining into his eyes, he wasn’t sure how (or when) he’d gotten to bed. Despite being more active again in the past five years he hadn’t lost the weight he’d gained during his house arrest – he’d only gained more as he ate his grief away. Laura surely couldn’t have carried him. Had he been so out of it last night that he’d forgotten going to bed?

He could smell Laura’s cooking. It reminded him of that one dish Nat loved so much. It also implied lunch. Had he really slept that long? Shouldn’t his kids have woken him up? If not personally, at least by their playing and fighting?

When he staggered downstairs, still sleepy, he saw all three at the table, working on something. Lila saw him first and jumped up, hugging him. It seemed Laura had told them a safe version of what happened – he doubted she would have told them the full truth.

“I’m glad that Aunt Nat saved your life. I just wish you could have both come back.”

“So do I.”

He knew that it would take time for things to be alright again, but everything had to start somewhere and this was his somewhere.


End file.
